Japanese Patent No. 4226404 B discloses a work machine comprising a handle device provided to a steel chassis frame, wherein the handle folds up during transportation or movement. The handle device has a handle bracket fastened to a plate-shaped bracket provided to the chassis frame, a supporting base plate held by a bolt passed through a disc spring and fastened to the handle bracket so as to not turn, and a handle fitted with the supporting base plate. A manual locking mechanism engages with the handle bracket when the handle is in its use position.
However, a problem is presented in the handle device described above in that its structure is complicated and it has a large number of components.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-115457 A (JP 2007-115457 A) discloses a handle device in which a handle, which is a rod bent into a foldable U shape, is connected at one end to a plate attached to a chassis frame composed of a steel pipe, the other end of the rod is fixed in place by being passed through the handle and the plate, and the rod can be removed and turned.
However, although the handle device disclosed in JP 2007-115457 A has a simple structure, a problem is presented in that since the handle turns of its own weight when the pin (rod) is removed, the handle must first be held in the use position and then the handle must be lowered while being supported, and both the force and direction with which the handle is turned are unstable.
Furthermore, another problem is that when the handle is fixed in place (locked) or turned, the pin must be removed and inserted, and the handling thereof is complicated.